Archive for May, 2010

Due to recent travel advisory and subsequent news in the media about driving to Puerto Penasco. The Puerto Penasco’s American community has issued this important communication they are asking to distribute to our fans and community, also asking you to e mail it and distribute to your friends and contacts.

STATEMENT OF PUERTO PENASCO’S AMERICAN COMMUNITY
U.S. Consulate Warrant unsubstantiated, uncorroborated…and untrue!

While it is not unusual for the U.S. Consulate in Nogales, Sonora to release a travel advisory for parts of Mexico, the latest warrant, dated May 19, 2010, has left an entire community wondering where the Consulate gets its information.

Business leaders in Puerto Penasco, known commonly as Rocky Point, met on Monday to discuss the backlash of calls and emails received as a result of the warning that specifically mentioned dangers on Highway 8, the road to this popular beach resort town.

According to the director of Mexico’s Federal Highway Patrol, no incidents like those discussed in the warning have occurred. The AFI, which is like the American CIA, has also denied any knowledge of problems along Highway 8. Local police chief Erick Landagaray expressed surprise that the Consulate would issue a warning without so much as a thread of truth to it. The Attorneys General at the State as well as Federal level have also said there is no basis for the claims of violence on the road to Puerto Penasco.

Fausto Soto, Director of International Relations for the City of Puerto Penasco attended the meeting, where all agreed the highest priority should be in preparing travelers with the truth, regardless the economic effects on the city.

Nevertheless, in this case it seems the U.S. Consulate – Perhaps because a false report they received – has violated their own policy not to rely solely on unsubstantiated rumors…and in this case, they got their facts very, very wrong, in the process harming an entire community, including about 10,000 American and Canadian Citizens residing or having a legitimate business in this place.

It would be naïve to think that the timing of this warning was accidental, coming as it did right before one of the biggest weekends for this resort community. That negative reports hit the media harder right before Spring Break or other important holidays for travelers is nothing new. What is new, however, is the participation of the U.S. Consulate’s complicity in unnecessarily scaring the traveling public and causing harm to many American-owned businesses south of the border.

The hope in Puerto Penasco is that those who know and love Rocky Point won’t stay away or cancel their travels plans without first verifying the veracity of what they’ve heard, even if the rumors come with the stamp of the U.S. government.

Electrification at Playa Miramar by Carlos Amado’s crews seems to be coming along on schedule.

In his talk at our last HOA meeting, Carlos Amado said he expected agreement on the right of way for power connection within days.

Typical transformer serving several houses in place on a buried concrete manhole-caisson. All transformers are in place.

Typical meter socket boxes in place on an existing roadside wall. More than half of these are installed and wired.

Using the steel forms.

Cast concrete stanchions like the one in the picture above are being cast this week for properties without a roadside wall.

This past week, crews have been connecting the underground cables that will connect 13,000 volt service to the transformers.

Inside view of a transformer locked box connection plate. Red and black 13,000 volt connections are on the left. The silver paddles on the right will be used to connect the wires visible lying at the bottom of the connection box that will bring 120 and 240 volt power from the transformer to our home meter bases. It is up to the individual owner to contract for connection from meter base to home system.

As we know, Playa Encanto still has no power. Since infra-structure installation, owners there have waited year because of right-of-way snafus. The good news for us at Playa Miramar is in Picture 7, taken toward the estuary from our entry road. The pole on the left is the existing terminus of the power line supplying the twin towers of Mayan Palace. The pole on the right was installed this week by Carlos' crews and the loose connections for the 13,000 volt lines you see above were started on May 21. ...looks to us who are on the beach now that connection and test of the system must be pretty close.